KWETB Offices Raided By Gardai

The Offices of the Kildare and Wicklow Education and Training Board in Naas were raided by Gardaí yesterday on foot of a search warrant. 

East Coast News has learned that Board members were told that the raid took place at 11 o’clock yesterday morning. They were also told if they have any information that can assist in the investigation, they should bring that to gardai, and that failure to do so is a criminal offence.

In a statement to East Coast News, Gardaí confirmed detectives attached to the Kildare Division, conducted a number of searches of a premises in the Kildare area in relation to an ongoing investigation.

The raid follows on from the publication of a critical audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General on Wednesday, into the financial statements of the board for the year-ending in 2015.

It identified serious weaknesses in the board’s procurement processes, where contracts were awarded to businesses with connections to the then chief executive Sean Ashe.  Spending at a five-star hotel and golf resort was regarded as excessive and it also highlighted concerns about an almost €500,000 in overrun costs in the construction of Arklow Community College.